Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-13

PIANO.
ing the notes over which her head was bent
low, showing the coils of curling hair which
were twisted round it like coronet.
"Wcll, Capt. Mel" said the old man, way
ing his pipe in her direction, land what do
you say to my singing birds music, Ell! Isn't
it enough to draw the heart out of man, eh,
and turn his marrow to water, eh!"
81 never heard anything quite like it," he
answered. simply, "and have heard most
| singers. 1t is beautiful Certainly | never
| expected to hear such singing i'll the Trans
| vaal."
! She turned quickly, and he observed that
| though her eyes were allght with excitement
! her face was as impassive as ever
There is no need for you to laugh at me,
! Capt. Mel" she said, quickly, and then, with
| an abrupt Goodnight" left the room.
! The old man smiled jerked the stem of his
| pipe over his shoulder after her, and winked
| in "A way that, no doubt. meant unutterable
things, but which did not convey much to his
astonished guest, who sat still and said moth
| ing. Then Bessie got up and babe him good
night in her pleasant voice, and with house
wifely care inquired as to whether his room
was to his liking, and how many blankets he
| liked upon his bed, telling him that if he
| found the odor of the moonfiowers, that grew
near the veranda, too strong, he had better
shut the right hand window and open that on
| the other side of the room; and then at
length, with piquant little nod of her golden
| head, she went off, looking, he thought as he
watched her retreating figure, about as
healthy, graceful and generally satisfactory
| a young woman as q man could wish to see.
Take glass of grog, Capt. Mel" said the
old man, pushing the square bottle toward
him; you'll need it after the maulng that
brute gave you. By the way, | haven't
thanked you enough for saving my Besslel
But l do thank you yes, that do. / must
tel you that Bessie is my favorite niece.
| Never was there such IL girl-never. Moves
like springbuck, and what an eye and form
Work. too-shell do as much work as three
There's no nonsense about Bessie, none at all
She's not fine lady, for all her fine looks"
| The two sisters seem very different SAID
John.
"Ay, you're right there" said the old man
You'd never think that the same blood ran
in their veins, would you9 There's three
years between them, that's one thing. Bes
sizes the youngest, you see-she's just 90 and
jess is %. Lord, to think that it is twenty
three years since that girl was born! And
theirs was queer story, too"
"Indeed" said his listener, interrogatively
"Ay," he went on absently, knocking ont
his pipe and refilling it out of a big, brown
jar of coarse cut Boer tobacco; "Ill tell it tC
you if you like; you are goingto live in the
house, and you may as well know it. l an
sure, Capt. Mel, that it will go no further
You see was born in England; yes, and vel
born, too. L, come from Cambridgeshire-
from that fat fenland down round Ely. Ny
father was a clergyman. Well, he wasn't
Ifch, and when / was 20 he gave me his bless
ing, thirty sovereigns in my pocket and my
passage to the Cape; and l shook his hand
God bless himl and Off / came, and here in
the old colony and this country have beer
for fifty years, for l was 20 yesterday. Well
| I'll tell you more about that another time
it's about the girls I'm speaking now After
left home-twenty years after or hard or
| tiny dear old father married again, q
youngish woman with some money, but be
meath him somewhat in life, and by her he
had one son and then died. Well, it was but
little l heard of my half-brother, except that
he had turned out very badly, married end
taken to drink, till one night some twelve
years ago, when a strange thing happened.
was sitting here in this very room-ay, in
this very chair-for this part of the house was
| up them though the wings weren't buit-and
smoking my pipe and listening to the flashing
of the rain, for it was a very foul night, wher
suddenly AN old pointer dog | had, named
Ben, gave bark.
"'Lie down, Ben; it's only the Kaffirs,
sold
just then / thought l heard faint sort OF
rapping at the door, and Ben barked again
so got up and opened it, and in came two
little girls wrapped up in old shawls or some
such gear. Well, l shut the door, looking
out first to see if there were any more outside
and then | stood and stared at the two little
things with my mouth open. There they
stood, hand in hand, the water dripping
from both of them and the eldest might
have been II, and the second about s. They
didn't say anything, but the eldest turned
and took the shawl and hat Off the younger
that was Bessie-and there was her sweet
little face ana her golden hair, and damn
enough both of them were and she put hel
thumb in her mouth, and stood and looked al
me till began TO think that 49, :. comma